The Gaud Discovery Trail

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In the Ardèche Gorges, the Cirque de Gaud is home to a discovery trail dotted with information panels about the region's flora and fauna. At the Gaud campsite, you will find Gaud Castle and the Ardèche River.

Details

n°4802416
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.60 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 292 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 294 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 335 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 60 m
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Photos

Gaud Castle
Ardèche Gorges
On the road...
Charbonnnières

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in the bend on the RD290 road. Follow the yellowPR® markings.

(S/E) With your back to the car park and the viewpoint, carefully follow the road north-east.

(1) Turn left at the hairpin bend onto the stony track.

(2) Continue straight ahead and do not take the "Bivouac de Gaud" direction.

(3) Ignore the path on the left, which you will take on the way back, and continue straight ahead. Pass between the two buildings and turn right to reach the banks of the Ardèche.

(4) Retrace your steps and turn right. Walk along the campsite and continue straight ahead. Pass Château de Gaud and continue to the riverbank.

(5) Turn back. At the end of the campsite, turn right (follow the sign for "Sentier de Découverte") and walk for about 150 metres.

(6) Turn left towards "Sentier de Découverte".

(3) Turn right and retrace your steps to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 335 m - Car park, viewpoint
  2. 1 : km 0.31 - alt. 304 m - Start of the Gaud trail
  3. 2 : km 1.52 - alt. 193 m - White oak, straight ahead
  4. 3 : km 1.68 - alt. 193 m - Crossroads of the circular
  5. 4 : km 2.45 - alt. 62 m - Banks of the - Ardèche
  6. 5 : km 2.97 - alt. 60 m - Camping area
  7. 6 : km 3.59 - alt. 101 m - Path on the left
  8. S/E : km 5.6 - alt. 333 m - Viewpoint car park

Worth a visit

Discovery trail, Château de Gaud, Ardèche Gorges.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
thnad
thnad

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Descend to the bottom of the Ardèche then climb back up. Monotonous.

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Alves Martine
Alves Martine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A route that is not very busy in winter but must be much busier in fine weather!
Beautiful views of the Ardèche region.

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bibi69
bibi69

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

easy walk with beautiful views

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant walk. Beautiful views of the Ardèche. Interesting discovery trail. Easier climb back up via the shaded concrete road.

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céline et thierry
céline et thierry

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike done on 24/10/21 between noon and 3 p.m. We didn't see many people on that date, but in summer it must be very busy, just like the road.

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Andr00d
Andr00d

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The start is not straightforward; it is easy to get it wrong. The start display needs to be reviewed.

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visosuz
visosuz

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
beautiful route.
Be careful, my husband felt unwell. In an emergency, no one knows how to open the gate that closes the path at the start of the hike. The park does not respond, and the police have the wrong access code.

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eric76
eric76

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello

Thank you for sharing
Enjoyable hike.

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Franck D
Franck D
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Exactly the same comments as before, we also stayed by the water's edge, but extended our walk to the Cannelle rapids.
Naturally, the section on concrete is less enjoyable. In fact, the discovery trail starts when you leave the road at the point (2).

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nono3084
nono3084

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The discovery trail is very interesting.
We replaced the round trip to Gaud Castle with a circular that runs along the river.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.